Carbohydrates

I've had this conversation more times than I can count. An athlete tells me they carb-loaded before their big race or match. I ask what they did. "Had a big bowl of pasta the night before." That's not carb loading. That's just dinner. The confusion around this one term is doing real damage to how athletes prepare for competition. Some do it wrong and wonder why it didn't help. Others do it when they don't even need it. And many avoid carbs entirely before competition because